Neurobiology, development and behavior of insects
Our research is in the general area of the neural basis of behavior, with a focus on insect feeding, primarily in larval Lepidoptera. Our approach is to first understand the insect’s behavior and how it may be modified as circumstances in the insect’s life dictate. We then explore the neural basis of the behavior and its modulation, using electrophysiological methods. Current topics include: (1) The neural basis of how changes in taste receptor input due to dietary experience alter food choices in cabbage butterfly larvae. (2) The mechanisms by which the neural control of the foregut is altered during the molt cycle and during metamorphosis in the tobacco hornworm. (3) The neural basis of alterations in feeding behavior and foregut activity observed in parasitized tobacco hornworm larvae. |
